The present invention relates to a steering axle, especially for a lift truck with a double-acting steering cylinder whose tubular cylinder member is closed off by way of a cover and is retained at a frame.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a steering axle for a lift truck which can be installed in the support frame with relatively large tolerance compensation in a simple manner and produces a relatively long stroke travel by means of a relatively short tubular cylinder member.
The underlying problems are solved according to the present invention in that the steering cylinder includes tubular cylinder member retained inside of a cylindrical mounting of a part of the cover, which with its free end forms an additional stroke space within the area of the mounting that is delimited at the end of the tubular member by a bearing flange of the cover which is rigidly connected with the support frame by oppositely disposed threaded bolts.
The advantages principally achieved with the present invention reside in that the steering cylinder can be installed in an axle frame in a simple manner, whereby an additional threaded connection between the tubular cylinder member and the closure cover can be dispensed with. Owing to a longitudinal play between the tubular member and the covers, the same can be fitted accurately with respect to the axle frame, for which purpose contribute in particular the bushings that align the bolts in the cover axially accurately with respect to the bores in the frame.
The cover is clamped against the axle frame by threaded bolts and is frictionally fixed so that no rotation of the covers on the bushings as a result of transverse forces is possible any longer which otherwise would have as a consequence a rotation of the cylinder rods on the guide band.
For simplifying the installation of the cylinder at the frame, a clearance is provided between a fastening section of the cover and a bearer of the frame which can be determined by way of a bushing so that a coarse, price-favorable machining of the cover, of the tubular cylinder member and of the frame becomes possible.
The arrangement of the guide band and of the threaded bolts in a common vertical plane offers the advantage that no moments can result with the absorption of transverse forces and thus an additional load of the components is dispensed with most far-reachingly.
The tubular cylinder member of the steering axle is so arranged in a cylindrical mounting of the cover that an additional stroke space results within the area of the mounting and, as a result thereof, an optimal utilization of the entire tubular length follows as regards its enclosed space.